Candlelit vigil held for 200 lost acres

MAIDENHEAD: A group campaigning to save Maidenhead Golf Course from development is set to hold a candlelight vigil next month ‘mourning the loss’ of greenbelt land in the town.

The Maidenhead Great Park group will hold the vigil on Tuesday, April 18 outside Maidenhead Town Hall from 5.30pm to

8.50pm, ‘mourning the loss of 200 acres of Maidenhead’s greenbelt’, ahead of Earth Day on Saturday, April 22.

Tina Quadrino, chair of the Maidenhead Great

Park group, said: “200 acres were taken out of Maidenhead’s greenbelt through the approval of the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead’s Borough Local Plan in February 2022.

“Up to 3,000 new homes are planned for our precious green space, leading to the destruction of thousands of mature trees and wildlife habitats supporting dozens of protected species.”

Pointing to ‘environmentally damaging’ projects planned as part of the South West Maidenhead development area, she added: “To highlight this loss of precious greenspace, trees and wildlife habitats, ahead of Earth Day we are holding a 200minute candlelit vigil outside the town hall – one minute for every acre we are losing to the developer’s bulldozers.

“At a time when we face a climate emergency and biodiversity crisis, we ask everyone who wants to stand up for nature, trees and cleaner air in our town, to join us for a time during our vigil.”

A spokesperson for the Royal Borough, said: “South West Maidenhead will meet, in a managed way, a significant proportion of our future housing need, by creating a sustainable, high-quality and distinctive place.

“Developers are very alive to the aspirations of the council and the community for this area.

“Sustainability and the environment are key considerations in both the Borough Local Plan and the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for South West Maidenhead.”

They added: “The SPD reaffirms important commitments to deliver a sustainable development, continuing to seek net carbon zero development and 10 per cent biodiversity net gain, and ensuring provision of a strong green infrastructure network, a highly connected green spine running north-south, retention of Rushington Copse and as many other trees as practically possible, along with planting new trees.

“It is recognised that all forms of development, land use and construction work unfortunately have some impact upon the environment, habitats and wildlife.

“As part of their pre-application work, developers need to commission independent ecological surveys of their sites to accompany their planning applications, identify protected species, consider impacts on habitats, identify measures to minimise adverse impacts, and meet any legal obligations in relation to any protected species.”

W For more about the campaign, visit: maidenhead greatpark.co.uk